{
  "id": 10599372,
  "title": "'Near to home, the better': Dzulkefly on healthcare reform",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/near-to-home-the-better-dzulkefly-on-healthcare-reform",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T03:36:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/09/1543610/near-home-better-dzulkefly-healthcare-reform"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Health Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, has outlined plans to transform the healthcare system in a more patient-centred approach during the 15th Parliament. Dr Dzulkefly emphasized the importance of bringing healthcare services closer to people's homes through digitalisation and innovative initiatives, stating, \"Whatever the vehicle, whatever the method, whatever the platform, whatever the initiative, I will certainly fulfil it as soon as possible.\"\n\nCurrent challenges include addressing non-communicable diseases, food safety, nutrition, environmental health and planetary health. To tackle these issues, the Health Ministry has established a Digital Health Division and a Health Transformation Office to lead and manage new initiatives. One of the key areas of focus is health financing reform and digitalisation, which includes the development of a national electronic medical records (EMR) system to ensure interoperability across healthcare facilities.\n\nThe patient's journey and experience remain central to the improvements in healthcare delivery. Dr Dzulkefly highlighted initiatives such as Medicines By Post, a service that enables patients to receive their medications without the need to travel to healthcare facilities for collection. This initiative aims to save patients time and travel costs, ensure continuity of treatment, and reduce congestion at healthcare facilities.\n\nThe MyUBAT application, developed in 2021, has seen nearly 893,000 registered users and over six million medicine-supply appointment transactions. The Health Ministry has also introduced various pharmacy services, including Pharmacy Drive-Through, Medicines By Post, Local Follow-up Medicine Supply Centres, medicine lockers, and Third-Party Follow-up Medicine Supply.\n\nDr Dzulkefly thanked Pos Malaysia Berhad for its partnership with the Health Ministry in delivering medicines to patients. The ultimate goal is to make healthcare services more accessible, people-friendly, and responsive to patients' needs, ensuring a patient experience and patient journey that is the benchmark for improvement.",
  "summary": "PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is shifting towards a more patient-centred healthcare system, with services increasingly brought closer to people’s homes through digitalisation and other innovations, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.",
  "key_points": [
    "Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad outlines patient-centred healthcare reform plans",
    "Digital Health Division and Health Transformation Office established to manage initiatives",
    "Medicines By Post service saves patients time and travel costs"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Malaysia's healthcare overhaul prioritizes patient experience and accessibility by harnessing digitalisation and innovative services, shifting focus towards community-centred care and streamlined health financing.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}